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Review All Articles > December 19th 2007 - Vol 10, Issue 48 EACA Showfloor Buzz
Vol. 10, Issue 48, December 19, 2007
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Holiday Issue/Year in Review Issue This is the final issue of the Showfloor Buzz for 2007. In recognition of the successful completion of another year of chronicling the issues of greatest interest to all EACA members, we thought we would offer a look back at some of the significant stories we covered in 2007.
The EACA wishes each and everyone of our members and industry colleagues a Happy Holiday season and a Prosperous New Year!
The next issue of the Showfloor Buzz will be published on January 2, 2008.
EACA NEWS
The EACA had a very good year in 2007. Some of our key accomplishments this year included:
• The association added 26 new Annual members, and 31 new members who signed up as a “Show Only” membership to take advantage of the enhanced services of EACA’s online EAC registration system.
• EACA’s EAC registration shows included IHA, NRA, Pack Expo, FPME, CPP, NAFEM and RSNA.
• EACA held its 9th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in July 2007.
• EACA held its second Winter Meeting in Marco Island, FL in November 2007 in conjunction with EDPA.
• The EACA launched its Customer Service Training program delivering customer service training to more than 300 showfloor workers in Chicago and Las Vegas.
• EACA, once again, was a presenting sponsor of the Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic, as the RSMGC broke new records in funds raised and recipients assisted.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Bob Michael has joined Sho-Link, Inc. in the position of Vice-President effective December 4th. 2006. Prior to Sho-Link, Michael was President of Excel Management Services.
Michael has over 27 years in the trade show industry. He began his career in Texas providing logistics, labor and supervision to oil industry related trade show exhibitors nationwide. He spent eight years with I&D Inc. in sales and management roles before joining Freeman in 1990. He left Freeman as Vice President of I&D Services in 2005 to open Excel.
Davis Resigns From Chicago's MPEA <Tradeshow Week> Leticia Peralta Davis, the CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which owns and operates Chicago's McCormick Place and the Navy Pier, is stepping down from her post effective Jan. 2. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has not yet named a replacement, according to an MPEA spokesman.
McGrane Retires From Javits Center <Tradeshow Week> Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York President and CEO Gerald T. McQueen has confirmed to TSW that the center's general manager, Myles T. McGrane, will be retiring at the end of the year. McGrane started at the Javits Center as director of operations in 1986, and after a stint at a tech company in Atlanta he returned in 1994. "Myles has been a tremendous asset to the center over the years," McQueen said. "I wish him every success in his future endeavors."
Former Show Organizer and Marine to Head Up Chicago’s MPEA <Trade Show Executive > Juan Ochoa, 36, a former marine who launched his own business expo for the Hispanic market, began his new duties in January as the new CEO of Chicago’s Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which owns and operates McCormick Place and Navy Pier .
Illinois Governor Rod D. Blagojevich appointed Ochoa to succeed Leticia Peralta Davis who stepped down to pursue other business opportunities. The governor hailed Peralta Davis for her work in shepherding McCormick Place’s major expansion efforts and overseeing critical labor negotiations.
New GM named at Javits . <M&C Midweek News> At the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, a number of promotions have been announced to fill the shoes of retired general manager Myles McGrane. Tony Bracco, the former assistant general manager, is the new general manager. Doreen Guerin, formerly a sales manager, has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing. Jack Wayman, a specialist in convention center cleaning, was named assistant vice president for environmental and customer services.
TS2 Announces Changes -Greenspan Departs, Shevlin Promoted. The EACA has learned that Steve Greenspan will no longer be working on the TS2 team. TS2 was only one of several job duties Steve had at NTP. He will be continuing to do work for NTP on a contractor basis
Kellie Shevlin, who has worked in a sponsorship and exhibit space sales capacity for TS2 for four years, has been promoted to the position of TS2 Sales and Industry Relations Manager.
VNU announced it is changing its name to The Nielsen Company. <TSEA News>
Immediate steps to launch the new branding for the company include the introduction of a new corporate web site, www.nielsen.com, and graphic identity. The new identity will be rolled out progressively by all Nielsen businesses during 2007.
Pittsburgh Auto Show Postponed Indefinitely <Tradeshow Week> The 2007 Pittsburgh Intl. Auto Show, scheduled to open Feb. 10, has been postponed indefinitely following the collapse of a 20' x 60' piece of concrete at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Los Angeles to sell “air rights” above convention center <Expo Web News> The City of Los Angeles has announced plans to sell 9 million square feet of “air rights” above the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) through its Transfer of Floor Area Rights (TFAR) Ordinance. The LACC is zoned for high-rise development, but the building is only a few stories tall. The developable space above the LACC is large enough to build the equivalent of seven 73-story buildings.
NXTcomm Hires Forlenza and Herman <Tradeshow Week> NXTcomm snagged two more tradeshow veterans for its team, Jim Forlenza and Bill Herman, who most recently ran their own company, Agile Events. These are the latest high-profile hires for NXTcomm, which will take place June 18-21 at Chicago's McCormick Place.
EACs Make Top Ten List! The Exhibitor Show had a special display in the main lobby of this year’s event – the Top Ten Ideas that Changed the Exhibition Industry. Reason #5 was the advent of EACs. The display went on to explain that when EACs came on the scene primarily in the early 1980s that it gave exhibitors a needed choice which enabled them to greatly expand their exhibiting efforts.
Cecil Wynn The Showfloor Buzz has learned that Cecil Wynn, International Rep. for the IBEW will retire on May 1. Best wishes for your retirement, Cecil, from all of us at the EACA!
Jimmie Fore Retires from New Orleans CC <Trade Show Executive> Jimmie D. Fore will step down April 1 as president/general manager of the Ernest Morial Convention Center of New Orleans. Fore's 16 years with the facility may be best remembered for the rapid reopening of the building after a $299 MIL renovation following Hurricane Katrina and his heroic efforts in staying in the building during the storm. His plans are to move to the Texas hill country where he has been raising quarter horses and exotic game animals.
Rally at the Alley III A Great Benefit for Local Industry Veteran A record number of attendees gathered last month at the 3rd Annual Rally at the Alley in Boston. Held at Lucky Strike Lanes, all proceeds from this one of a kind bowling and billiard event support the family of Karin Brennan.
Mary Dolaher Named CEO of IDG World Expo <Tradeshow Week> Intl. Data Group promoted Mary Dolaher to CEO of IDG World Expo. Dolaher will oversee the launch of the Entertainment for All Expo, and existing Macworld and LinuxWorld shows, among others. She replaces David Korse who left the company last November.
New Agreement in San Francisco. The Exhibit Display & Trade Show members of Local 510 voted overwhelmingly to ratify the new collective bargaining agreement for the trade show industry last week.
The new contract is effective April 1, 2007 through March 31, 2010 and was implemented upon ratification.
2007 Intrepid Award Nominees! The Intrepid Award is awarded to the individual, organization or consortium that has made great contributions to the cause of customer service in the trade show industry. The EACA Intrepid also recognizes the quality of character combining courage and staying power. In business, and specifically in the trade show business, grace and fortitude under pressure is the capacity to focus attention on the needs of the customer at all times; particularly when the pressure hits.
The Five Finalists for the 2007 Intrepid Award are:
David Causton, MPEA. David is the General Manager for McCormick Place in Chicago.
Joe Mondelli, EACA Chicago. Joe is the EACA Chicago Chapter President (formerly with MC2) who has spearheaded EACA’s efforts to develop a showfloor worker training program there.
Bob Lessin, Business Rep., Local 831 A large part of the credit for the high service quotient for Local 831 in Southern Cal is due to the leadership of their Business Representative, Bob Lessin.
Cecil Wynn, IBEW. A steadfast supporter of “raising the level of service excellence on the showfloor”, and was personally responsible for getting the IBEW more involved on this and other industry-wide initiatives to improve showfloor exhibit servicing.
Ken Viscovich, Int’l Rep., United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Front and center at the initiative to develop drug and alcohol testing in all carpenter jurisdiction convention cities.
Rossi Replaces Plescia at OCCC. The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando has announced that Michaal Rossi will replace John Plescia at the OCCC as the Assistant Operations Manager. Rossi was the former Director of Event Services.
Plescia has left the OCCC to join Freeman as the Director of their Electrical Services and I&D departments.
Sales Tax Discussion Added to EACA Conference. Responding to a number of inquiries from EACA members, there will be a roundtable discussion on Sales Tax liability for EACs at the EACA Annual Conference.
First Ever Customer Service Training Sells Out!!. The EACA held its first ever Customer Service Training in Chicago this week to a sell out audience at McCormick Place. More than 150 showfloor workers, supervisors, and union stewards took the 4 hour training program developed and delivered by Dr. Randy Eppard of the University of Maryland, who has his Ph.D in human resource development and adult education curriculum development.
Viscovich Wins 2007 Intrepid. Ken Viscovich, International Representative of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, was awarded the 2007 Intrepid Award at the Awards Luncheon during the EACA Conference in Washington DC this week.
Carl Birsa Elected to EACA Hall of Fame. The votes are in and Carl Birsa, founder of CB Displays, has been elected to the EACA Hall of Fame posthumously.
The 5th Annual EACA/EDPA Chicago Charity Golf Outing, held Monday, August 6 was the best success ever.
We are proud to contribute more than $10k to the RSMGC this year! We are grateful to all who attended and supported our efforts.
Bob Johnson Named as GM of New Orleans Convention Center <Trade Show Executive> SMG Vice President of Operations Development Robert L. Johnson has been tapped to become the new president and general manager of the Ernest L. Morial Convention Center ˆ New Orleans.
EACA welcomes back Keith Newsome who has rejoined the association with Rapier Group of Savage, MD. Keith is a Past President of the EACA
13th Annual RSMGC Reaches New Heights. The 13th Annual Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic took place at the Berkeley Hills CC in Duluth, GA on October 8. More than 350 trade show industry professionals gathered together to commemorate and celebrate the lives of this year’s recipients.
Mondelli Joins TERM. The Term Group LLC is pleased to announce that Joseph Mondelli has joined their organization as Director of Operations.
Free WiFi Now at Las Vegas CC <Tradeshow Week> The Las Vegas Convention Center is the latest to offer customers free wireless hotspots. Smart City, the facility's telecom provider, is managing the service, which offers 64 kilobyte-per-second speed connections to anyone with wireless capability on his or her laptop.
EDPA Issues White Paper on “Bundling”. For more than a year, EDPA leadership has been concerned with the use of bundled discounts within the trade show industry in a manner that may violate antitrust laws.
A special Bundling Task Force, acting in conjunction with legal counsel, has concluded that the prospect of illegal discount bundling is of sufficient concern that EDPA should issue a statement condemning any such unlawful conduct.
Skip Cox wins IAEE Chairman's award <Expo Web News> The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) has awarded Jonathon “Skip” Cox, President of Exhibit Surveys, Inc., with the 2007 Chairman's Award.
Bludworth Makes Move to GES . Aaron Bludworth formerly of Modern Exposition Services in Salt Lake City has recently accepted a position with GES as VP of Corporate Events and will be relocating to Las Vegas.
Annoucning the National Labor Management Conference The EACA, along with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and ESCA, will be sponsoring a National Labor Management Conference in Las Vegas, NV on March 7-8, 2008 at the UBC Training Center.
Greg Farrar Named President of Nielsen Business Media <Trade Show Executive> Greg Farrar was named president of Nielsen Business Media on Nov. 16 after running the company for nearly a year following the sudden death of Robert Krakoff in March.
EACA-EDPA Winter Meeting Gets High Marks The EACA, in conjunction with EDPA, held its Winter Meeting in Marco Island, FL last week to the delight of the more than 250 participants. Enjoying a great respite from the harsh weather that was plaguing the rest of the country, EACA and EDPA members gathered to celebrate a highly successful year in the trade show industry, while tackling some of the tough issues that lay ahead.
Chicago Customer Service Training. The EACA conducted its second trade show Customer Service Training in Chicago this week as part of the “Chicago Commitment” to improve customer servicing at shows in McCormick Place.
The EACA Customer Service Training program is a 16 hour course that is delivered in 4 hour segments. More than 100 showfloor workers participated in both Level 1 and Level 2 Customer Service Training programs.
Congratulations to Dave Walens of Brumark, who received the Ambassador Award from EDPA at the EACA-EDPA Winter Meeting last week in Marco Island. Dave was recognized for his tireless support of the EDPA and the EDPA Foundation and is most deserving of the recognition. Way to go Wally!!
PASSINGS
The EACA would like to acknowledge those industry friends and colleagues that left us in 2007.
Our Condolences to Dave Mihalik and family on the recent passing of Dave’s father (Andrew Mihalik) on January 8 in Scranton, PA.
Edward Chapman Jr., Industry Pioneer, Dies <TSEA News> As reported in the Naples Daily News, writer, photographer, industry pioneer and long-time TSEA member and contributor Edward A. Chapman Jr., 73, died at home in Naples, Fla., on January 19, 2007.
Jim McCrady Loses Bout With Cancer <Trade Show Expo> James (Jim) L. McCrady, 51, vice president of sales for ICON Exhibits passed away on Jan. 12, 2007 after a three-year battle with cancer.
EACA Sends Condolences to Alan Scaccia and family on the passing of his wife, Patti. Patti Scaccia succumbed to her battle with an ongoing illness and passed in February, 2007.
One of the industry's (Spangenberg & Freeman) "great guys" passed away. Joe Mascaro, a resident of, and a fixture in, New Orleans passed away in March, 2007.
Jack “Smiling Jack” Wogelius . Funeral services were held Dec. 27 for Jack “Smiling Jack” Wogelius, 75, of Whiting. A veteran of more than 35 years in the convention industry, Wogelius was vice president of sales for Stevens Exhibits in Chicago.
Nielsen’s Bob Krakoff Dies Unexpectedly. <Trade Show Executive> The trade show industry is grieving over the sudden loss of one of its pre-eminent leaders. Nielsen Business Media President and CEO Robert L. Krakoff died unexpectedly on March 22 of an apparent heart attack.
Our Condolences to the Family of Joe Ercole. Joe Ercole of Expo Design Systems, passed away on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. Joe had been a member of the EACA since 1998 and was a strong supporter of the EACA in Las Vegas, and around the country.
Moe Bell Passes Away. <Exhibit City News> Moe Bell, formerly of Universal Exhibits, passed away on March 18. Bell’s contributions to the industry included the integration of modular systems with custom wood exhibits. He was a founding father of the first TSEA Chapter in Southern California. He became President of the EDPA in 1985, and was awarded the Hazel Hays Award in 1991.
Rosemont Mayor Donald E. Stephens dies <Expo Web News> Donald E. Stephens, long-time Mayor of Rosemont, IL, who was instrumental in transforming a swampland area near O'Hare International Airport into a destination for conventions and trade shows, died last night after a long battle with stomach cancer, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Condolences to the family of Bill Stinson, past owner of the Laser Las Vegas office who passed in May, 2007.
Wayne Veal, an industry and 24+-year Nth Degree veteran, died unexpectedly Friday, May 25, 2007. Wayne was an integral part of Nth Degree’s growth, success and family culture. In addition to his commitment to serving many of our longest-term clients, he served as a mentor to many on the Nth Degree sales team.
The EACA passes on its condolences to the family of Tina McMahon of Osgood 4D. Her husband, Jim, passed away on May 6, 2007 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The EACA would like to offer its condolences to the family of Judy Stewart, the love of Charlie's Stewart's (MC2), life and dedicated wife, who passed away June 27 around 4:30am. Charlie, RSMGC recipient for 2007, said that Judy went peacefully in her sleep.
Franc Dutton, long time member of the EACA, from F.E. Dutton & Associates, passed away on July 8 in Athens, Greece. The EACA sends its condolences to Franc’s family and friends.
FINAL THOUGHT FOR 2007
A smile is a passport that will take you anywhere you want to go.
--Anonymous
Publisher's statement. The Showfloor Buzz is a publication of the Exhibitor Appointed Contractor Association (EACA) which is dedicated to "raising the level of service excellence on the showfloor."
This publication is sent free of charge to all EACA members each Wednesday, and to non-members four weeks later. Annual subscriptions to current issues of the Buzz are available to non-members for $49.95. Please send subscription requests to jimwurm@eaca.com.
EACA members are also permitted to submit job postings to the Buzz free of charge for a one time listing. Member job postings can be extended for additional weeks in the Buzz as well as posted to the EACA web site. The costs for extending your job posting are one month for $50, 2 months for $85, and 3 months for $125.
If you have news from the tradeshow floor that you feel is important to the success of our members, or our industry's customer, the exhibitors, please forward it to the EACA @ 541-317-8768 or email us @ jimwurm@eaca.com
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